Bernard Schoenburg: Laubhan, candidate for 96th Illinois House District, had two DUIs

Sunday

Feb 23, 2014 at 1:00 AM

By Bernard SchoenburgPolitical Writer

LANDON LAUBHAN of Springfield, who is running in the Republican primary for the 96th House District seat, has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol twice since 2011 and has a revoked driver’s license.

“It was just a very poor decision on my part,” Laubhan said. “If I consume an alcoholic beverage, I won’t be behind the wheel (afterward) ever again. … To this day, I am very disgusted with myself.”

Laubhan, 33, an Oklahoma native and Abraham Lincoln enthusiast who moved to Springfield about three years ago, was a surprise entrant to the March 18 Republican primary. He is taking on MIKE BELL of Edinburg, who has the endorsement of the Sangamon County GOP.

A routine check of court records last week showed that Laubhan was arrested on May 27, 2011, at 1:43 a.m. by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies at Fifth and Laurel streets. He pleaded guilty and was fined $2,000. He got court supervision, completed his requirements and was discharged from supervision early, on Nov. 7, 2012.

A second DUI arrest, by Illinois State Police, came at 3:26 a.m. on June 29, 2013, on Sixth Street near the intersection with St. Joseph. Laubhan also ended up pleading guilty to that charge and was fined $1,865 in August and sentenced to the two days time served and up to 28 more days, subject to review.

Laubhan said he’s completed court-ordered classes again and is serving a year’s probation, which he hopes can end early again. He also told me he was able to get a permit to drive.

However, HENRY HAUPT, spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, said Laubhan’s license is revoked, and a hearing with the secretary of state is a needed step for him to get a restricted driving permit.

I told Laubhan this on Friday, and he then found out he qualified for what is called an informal hearing, and did that interview that day.

“He may still have to provide us with additional information,” Haupt said later, and that will be known after the hearing officer reviews the case.

Both arrests, Laubhan said, came after he was at non-political fundraising events. And while he did express remorse for not using other easy options to get home, he also expressed some concern about the state of DUI laws.

“Let’s say you’re a hardworking person, a taxpayer, you got a job,” he said. “You’re working and you’re very productive, and … you’re with some friends or something one evening and you have some alcoholic beverages and you do drive and you do get pulled over and get a DUI, I mean, that literally can cost a good, productive person everything … their job, things of that nature.

“I think the punishment could be lessened a little bit,” he added. “I don’t believe that the punishment fits the crime. … It’s almost like the punishment is literally handed down like you did in fact cause an accident or hurt someone.”

He said the .08 blood-alcohol threshold for being an illegal driver in Illinois is a tough standard.

“I weigh 130 pounds soaking wet,” he said. “So one or two beers and boom, you’re over the limit. … I’d be willing to bet that a majority have made the same mistake, and some just (were) fortunate enough not to get caught. I got caught.”

An online chart from a group called Be Responsible About Drinking 21 showed a 140-pound man would reach .08 with three drinks.

Laubhan did say that if a driver causes an accident or injures or kills someone, “Now you’re talking a whole different ballgame.”

Laubhan also said that in his latest arrest, he was the last person who went through a police safety check, and he had slept for four hours at the home where the fundraiser was, so he didn’t think he would be in trouble.

“When you set up roadblocks at midnight to 4 o’clock in the morning … probably 90 percent of the people that come through there have … had a few cocktails,” he said. He said it “seems like kind of an entrapment-type ordeal, if you will.”

He also would oppose any lowering of the limit to .05, saying that if that change were made, “Good gosh … those would become more popular than seatbelt tickets.”

On a different note, legal action filed against Laubhan in February 2012 was the first step toward eviction from his apartment, but he was able to pay his back rent within days. The case was closed the month after it was filed. Laubhan said he “kind of jumped the gun,” leaving one job for another, when the job he thought he was in line to get fell through. He then went back to his former employer after being out of a job for four or five months, and “got back on track.” He later left that job to dedicate all his time to the March 18 primary campaign.

“I still firmly believe that I am the right candidate,” he said.

Democratic state Rep. SUE SCHERER of Decatur is the incumbent in the 96th. She is challenged in the Democratic primary by GINA LATHAN of Springfield.

Protecting data

The campaign of GEORGE GOLLIN, the physics professor from Champaign seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House from the 13th Congressional District, was worried a bit about tactical information getting out.

MONICA BIDDIX, his campaign manager, requests voter information for mail or advertising purposes from something called VoteBuilder, which is administered by the Democratic Party of Illinois. She noted that the information seemed to be automatically forwarded to various people via email, including somebody named Finkle at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. MICHELLE FINKLE is Midwest targeting director for that organization.

The DCCC happens to be backing former Judge ANN CALLIS of Edwardsville in the 13th, and Biddix wondered if the requested voter information was somehow getting to the competition.

Fear not, say all involved. STEVE BROWN, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Illinois, said he had no knowledge of any problem with integrity of information.

MARSHALL COHEN, campaign manager for Callis, said the campaign has “absolutely” received no information about this from the DCCC.

And BRANDON LORENZ of the DCCC said the organization “has not accessed any data from the Gollin campaign.”

Also seeking the Democratic nomination is DAVID GREEN of Champaign. The 13th is now represented by U.S. Rep. RODNEY DAVIS, R-Taylorville, who has two primary challengers: ERIKA HAROLD of Urbana and MIKE FIRSCHING of Moro.